Billfold having external access means



Jan. 13, 1948. H. E. STOCKY 2,434,473

BILLFOLD HAVING EXTERNAL ACCESSMEANS Filed Jan. 51; 1945 Yi Of@ /l -rTam/exs' Patented Jan. 13, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BILLFLDHAVING EXTERNAL ACCESS MEANS The present invention relates toimprovements in billfolds, i. e., paper-money containers which fold tomore conveniently fit the pockets of clothing or the like.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a superiorbillfold so constructed as to permit the contents to bereadily-observed.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a superiorbillfold which will securely hold bills but permit their readyremovalafrom the billfold without requiring the opening of the latter.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a superiorbillfold which will expose a portion of the contents to View in suchmanner that the combination of the billfold itself and its contentscompose an attractive ensemble. A

With the above and other objects in View, as will appear to thoseskilledin the art from the present disclosure, this invention includes allfeatures in the said disclosure which are novel over the prior art. Y

In the accompanying drawings, in which certain modes of carrying out thepresent invention are shown for illustrative purposes:

Fig. 1 is a face View looking toward the inner face of one form ofbillfold embodying the present invention with the said billfold openedout Fig. 2 is an edge view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a rear face view of the billfold when the latter is folded;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but looking toward the front facethereof;

Fig. 5 is a view corresponding to Fig. 3 but additionally showing a billinstalled in the billfold; and

Fig. 6 is a broken detailsectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5,but on a larger scale.

The billfold herein chosenfor purposes'of illustrating a preferred formof the present 'invention may be formed of an oblong sheet I of leatheror any other suitable material suitably proportioned to accommodatepaper money. The said sheet Il) is formed about midway of its lengthwith a transverse score or crease II to Virtually divide the said sheetinto a front-panel I2 and a complemental back-panel I3. The said panelsmay be folded with respect to each other about the score or crease II,which latter serves as a hinge. At the outer end of the front-panel I2,the sheet I3 is also provided with a transverse score or crease I4 whichvirtually divides the said front-panel proper from a fastening-flap Iand serves as a hinge between the latter and the said front-panel.

2 The fastening-Hap I5above referred to is provided centrally with a.snap-fastener socket-member I6 having avso'cket I1 which is adapted toreleasablyreceive a complemental stud I8 forminga part of asnap-fastener stud-member I9. The said stud-member I9`is mountedcentrally inthe back-panel vI 3 adjacent the outer edge thereof. ThestudI8`- is adapted to Venter the socket I'I when the front-panel I2=andthe back-panelA I3- are folded togetherand the fastening-nap I5 islapped overagainst theback face of the backp'anel I3, as is especiallywell shown inY Figs. 3

and 5.

On each of the respectiveopposite sides of thein Fig. 1. Asthus'located, the tie-portion 22 hasthe score orl crease- II extendingcentrally throughout its length;

Preferably andas shown, each ofthe clear- I ance-slots 2U`and 2-I`havetheir respective intermediate-portions symmetrically curved awayfrom the scoreor crease II, with the result that the tie-portionr 22 isformed on each of its respective opposite edges with one of twooppositely-extending tab-portions 23 and 24.V

Preferably,- also, the front-panel I2 is formed with -a sight-opening25so located as to enable the denominational numeral on a bill withinthe billfold, to be readily observed.

Bills may be inserted into the billfold above described in a varietyof'manners, but for purposes of convenience, let it be assumed that thebillfold is opened `out as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, so that theinner face thereof is uppermost. A bill or a group of bills may now beinserted from the inner. face of the billfold through the clearance-slot2U, thence beneath the tie-portion 22 and through the clearance-slot 2Iand onto the inner face of the billfold. The bill 26 may now be assumedto have reached the position illustrated by the dot-and-dash lines inFig. 1.

With the bill 26 centrally positioned as indicated in Fig. 1, thefront-panel I2 and the backpanel I3 may be folded toward each otherabout the hinge-point provided by the score or crease II, and thefastening-flap I5 may be overlapped against the back face of theback-panel I3, to

cause the socket I1 in the socket-member I6 to snap-over the stud I8 ofthe stud-member I9 until the parts assume the positions in which theyare illustrated in Figs. 3 to 6 inclusive.

When the bill 26 is installed in the billfold and the same is folded asabove described, the foldportion of the bill 26 will wrap itself aroundthe exteriors of the tie-portion 22 and its oppositelyextendingtab-portions 23 and 24, as is especially well shown in Fig. 6. As shown,the tab-portions 23 and 24 will be substantially pressed together by thewrapped-around portion of the bill 28, so that the portions of therespective inner-edges of the front-panel I2 and back-panel I3 fromwhich the tab-portions 23 and 24 have been respectively displaced, willprovide ample view of the bill 26 and will further providefinger-clearance notches 21 and 28.

Should it be desired, the thumb and forenger may be entered into thefinger-clearance notches 21 and 28 to clasp the folded portion of thebill 26, and to enable the said bill to be withdrawn from the billfoldin the direction of the arrow 29 in Fig. 6, without requiring theopening-up of the billfold.

The invention may be carried out in other specic ways than those hereinset forth without departing from the spirit and essentialcharacteristi'cs of the invention, and the present embodiments are,therefore, to beY considered in all respects as illustrative and notrestrictive, and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalencyrange of the appended claims are intended to be embraced therein.

I claim:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a billfold, having externalaccess-means, including in cornbination: a unitary structure providing afrontpanel, a back-panel and a hinge-portion extending transversely ofthe billfold; the said frontpanel and the said back-panel each beingprovided immediately adjacent the said hinge-portion with one of twocomplemental substantiallytransverse clearance-Slots through whichmay beextended the folded portion of a bill held between opposed inner facesof the said front-panel and the said back-panel when the said panels arefolded together; both of the said clearance-slots extending closelyadjacent to but terminating short of the respective opposite side-edgesof the billfold and being laterally spaced apart in a directionlengthwise of the billfold by the said transverse hinge-portion whichforms a tie between the opposite edges of the billfold at the point ofjunction of the saidv front-panel and the said back-panel, the saidhinge-portion serving to support the inner face of the folded portion ofa bill having its free ends extended respectively through the saidclearance-slots into the interior of the billfold; each of the saidtransverse clearance-slots extending completely through the panel lnwhich it is formed from the inner to the outer surfaces thereof toenable a folded bill to be withdrawn from the interior of the billfoldby gripping the exteriorly-exposed folded portion of the bill extendingaround the said hinge-portion.

2. As a new article of manufacture. a billfold, including incombination: a unitary structure providing a front-panel, a, back-paneland a. hinge-portion extending transversely of the bill- Afold; the saidfront-panel and the said back- -panel each being provided immediatelyadjacent the said hinge-portion with one of two complementalsubstantially-transverse clearance-Slots through which may be extendedthe folded portion of a bill held between opposed inner faces of thesaid front-panel and the said back-panel when the said panels are foldedtogether; both of the said clearance-slots extending closely adjacent tobut terminating short of the respective opposite side-edges of thebillfold and being laterally spaced apart in a direction lengthwise ofthe billfold by the said transverse hinge-portion which forms a tiebetween the opposite edges of the billfold at the point of junction ofthe said front-panel and the said back-panel, the said hinge-portionserving to support the inner face of the folded portion of a bill havingits free ends extended respectively through the said clearance-slotsinto the interior of the billfold; each of the said transverseclearance-slots extending completely through the panel in which it isformed from the inner to the outer surfaces thereof to enable a foldedbill to be Withdrawn from the interior of the billfold by gripping theexteriorly-exposed folded portion of the bill extending around the saidhinge-portion; each of the said clearance-slots having itscentral-p0rtion curved away from the said hinge-portion to provide oneof two complemental finger-clearance notches.

HERMAN E. STOCK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,228,251 Smith May 29, 19171,684,737 LEnfant Sept. 18, 1928 1,821,379 Epstein Sept. 1, 19311,824,765 Ballard et al Sept. 29, 1931 1,844,258 Loomis, Jr. Feb. 9,1932 1,857,488 Weeks May 10, 1932 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date100,289 Great Britain Apr. 27, 1916 307,193 Great Britain Mar. 7, 1929

